Teacher Unions: How They Sabotage Educational Reform and Why

by Myron Lieberman

"Fixing" public education has become an American obsession. But according to educational theorist Myron Lieberman, the major problem our schools face is not class size, poor teacher pay, dilapidated... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 189355421X
• ISBN13: 9781893554214
• Release Date: December 2000
• Publisher: Encounter Books
• Length: 321 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

public school teacher who agrees!

I fought the California Teachers Association in my district and watched as every position they took was against the interests of education and my two kids. I am a teacher in another district. Lieberman is saying what many, many parents rightfully say: the unions are corrupt and immoral. The CTA leadership should be in jail for fraud, lying to parents, lying to its own membership, and single-handedly bringing the state of California to its financial knees. They are crooks. Roger S. Peterson, Rocklin, California

Right on the Mark

It should be clearly evident to anyone who is not a member of a teacher's union that, in today's world, the teacher's unions do indeed seem to do more harm than good. The iniquities of teacher's unions aren't unfixable, but there is much work to be done. What this book brings to light are some of the crucial issues that badly need to be addressed. For me, this book hits home, as I am close friends with many high school teachers. In speaking with them, I've come to understand that teacher pay has emerged as a crucial issue in education. Quality teachers are universally considered the key to producing high-performing students, but Florida has struggled to attract teachers enticed by high salaries elsewhere. Florida pays about $5,000 less a year than the national average. In Broward County, the School Board will contribute 3 percent more money into the payroll pot for the current school year. Last year, the figure was 5 1/2 percent. The new scale pays beginning teachers $32,700 and tops out with a base salary of $61,411 for those who have been teaching for twenty-five or thirty years (these figures are very low relative to the cost of living in Florida). But about three-quarters of that money funds a pay ladder, which rewards teachers for their years of experience--called a step increase. The rest, about a half-percent, is what many teachers consider raises; and the money is not applied evenly. Teachers at the bottom of the scale receive $100 for the entire year; a third of a percent. That works out to 6 cents an hour. Someone halfway up the salary scale with about 10 years experience would earn 54 cents more each hour. In the end, benefits every one except the teachers. As my wife will now get a marginal increase of 3%, administration, union members, and school board officials will receive a 10% pay increase; so much for the integrity of America's education system. It is completely absurd and incomprehensible to me that the people who are educating our children are being treated and paid like second-class citizens. What an embarrassment it is that our teachers receive not reverence but contempt from the powers that be. When all of these factors are honestly considered, it is easy to see why it is becoming difficult to encourage our collegiate population to become teachers; and the problem has only been intensified with the nation facing a teacher shortage and the Florida class size reduction amendment requiring thousands more teachers than in previous years. Teachers should be getting the kind of wages that can compete with other fields in the career marketplace. Instead, today's teachers are struggling more than ever to survive on low wages and ever-rising costs of living. But today's teacher's unions are either too weak or too corrupt to make any kind of reform a reality; and it's truly a shame. More and more teachers are feeling like they got sold down the river by the very unions that are supposed to be looking out for them. My county's

A must read for anyone concerned about education

This book is a must read for anyone concerned about the state of education in AMerica. Mr Lieberman speaks from years of experience as a teacher and an insider in the teachers unions. I highly recommend it!

Don't Let The Union Head Catch You Reading This Book!!

Ever wondered what happens to your union dues? Ever thought about standing up to the union if you disagree with a policy? Are you a reluctant member of a teacher union? Are you a parent tired of hearing about all the horrible thing happening in schools? If so, this is a book you must read. Mr. Lieberman discusses all aspects of the union lifestyle; Their powerful role in politcics, their strongarm tactics in the legislature, and their legalized extortion of members and parents. This is a must read for every teacher and parent. And a wake-up call for every union head across the country.